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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. snap — to click
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. press — a publisher
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — to push
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com